


Advanced Explorations In Honesty

by kazoobard



Category: Community
Genre: Gen, lesbian Annie Edison
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-24
Updated: 2020-10-24
Packaged: 2021-03-08 22:22:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 788
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27173764
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kazoobard/pseuds/kazoobard
Summary: Annie has figured something out about herself. She tells Troy first.
Relationships: Troy Barnes/ Abed Nadir (mention)
Comments: 4
Kudos: 89





	Advanced Explorations In Honesty

Annie stares at the Star Wars sheets, frozen. Her heart is in her throat, her whole body tense. Troy is on the other side. Troy doesn’t know how scared she is.

“Annie?”

She startles. “Y-yeah?”

“You can come in, if you want.”

Annie pushes the sheet aside, her eyes immediately catching on Troy’s. He’s sitting on the bottom bunk, obviously concerned. A Spider-Man comic lays abandoned next to him.

“Hi,” she says meekly.

“Hi,” Troy responds. “What’s wrong? You’ve been standing out there mumbling to yourself for like ten minutes.”

Annie stands staring at him, wordless. Troy scoots over, inviting her to sit. She does, knocking her knees together.

“Annie–“

“What would you do if you had a really big secret?” She glances at Troy, but he doesn’t say anything, just waits. It makes Annie a tiny bit less nervous. Troy is not a patient person by nature, but he knows her well enough to know that right now she needs to talk at him, not with him.

Annie wipes her sweaty palms on her skirt. She can feel tears coming to surface, but she doesn’t want to embarrass herself before she has to. She takes a deep breath and steels herself. Troy is looking at her, she can feel it.

“Troy, I’m... I think I maybe don’t... like boys?”

The room is silent, still. Annie’s face scrunches, and she can’t stop it anymore. Tears fall hot and heavy down her cheeks, catching on her eyelashes, making her blink and turn her head away.

The moments drag on. She feels scared, and alone, and she thinks that maybe she’ll be alone forever. But the bedsprings shift, and Troy’s arms wrap around her, and his chin rests on her head. His pajama shirt smells like their laundry detergent. Her fists lift up to clutch his shirt as she cries, and Troy rocks her gently back and forth.

They stay like that until Annie’s tears subside, until she’s no longer sobbing but just hiccuping and sniffling. Troy places his hands on her shoulders and pushes her gently back, studying her face. “You okay?”

Annie nods, wiping at her face. “Are you mad? Or... grossed out?”

Troy’s face crumbles into a gentle, sad smile. “Of course not. I love you, Annie.”

This sends her into tears again. She barrels into his chest, hugging him tightly, and he returns the gesture. They are still, and quiet.

After a moment Troy speaks, his chest sending a soft rumble through her. “By the way, being gay makes you ten times cooler.”

Annie smiles, still crying, and hears a sniffle above her. She unwinds her arms and pulls away, seeing that, yes, Troy is in tears too. She laughs, reaching forward to wipe away his tears. “Why are /you/ crying?”

“I’m just really proud of you!”

They sob together, shedding tears until it exhausts them. Troy eventually lays back on the bed and opens his arms to her, and she burrows into his side.

When Abed comes home, they’re still laying like that, and he stares at them, declining to speak first.

“Hi, Abed.”

“Is this a new dynamic?”

Troy shakes his head with a laugh, and Annie says, “I’m a lesbian.” It comes out easier this time, more confident. Troy kisses the top of her head.

“Oh, good. Are you going to come out to the group?”

Annie chews her lip. “I dunno. Maybe.”

“I can come out with you, if you want. I understand that it can cause some duress by yourself.”

Troy’s heart speeds up, Annie notices. His voice comes out too high. “Abed, you’re gay?”

“Bisexual.” He tilts his head. “Do either of you want Special Drink?”

Annie hums. “No thanks, Abed.”

“Cool cool cool.” And with that, Abed’s gone, and Troy is silent.

Annie looks up at him. His mouth is gaping slightly open, brow knitted. He’s thinking, hard.

Annie speaks gently. “Is there something you wanna talk about?”

“I... don’t know?”

There’s a crash from the kitchen. Annie stands up, smoothing down her dress. “I’m gonna go help Abed. You... think about things.”

Troy nods, and she turns to leave. She has one hand on the curtain before he calls out, “Annie?”

She turns. “Yeah, Troy?”

“I’m really proud of you.”

Annie grins and ducks out of the fort. She gasps a moment later, and pokes her head back in. “Does this mean we’re the gay apartment?”

Troy’s eyes go wide. “Uh–“

“Too soon? Too soon. Sorry!”

Troy covers his face with his hands, his body shaking with laughter. “Go help Abed with his Special Drink, you monster!”

“I love you!”

“I love you too! Jesus, go!”

Annie can still hear him giggling all the way to the kitchen.


End file.
